Chemours acquires mining operations of Southern Ionics Minerals

Chemours announced the acquisition of Southern Ionics Minerals (SIM), a minerals exploration, mining, and manufacturing company headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida.

The acquisition includes a mineral sands processing plant and an existing mine. Source: palichka / Pixabay.

SIM was a wholly owned subsidiary of Southern Ionics Incorporated (SII), a privately held inorganic chemical manufacturer based in West Point, Mississippi. The company mines and processes titanium and zirconium mineral sands from a similar geological formation as those produced by Chemours at the company’s existing mineral sands mine in Florida. This acquisition provides Chemours with flexibility and scalability to internally source ore, nearly doubling its capacity. The acquisition includes a mineral sands processing plant in Offerman, Georgia, an existing mine site in Charlton County Georgia, and administrative offices in Jacksonville, Florida.

Additional capacities for the production of titanium dioxide pigments

According to Bryan Snell, president of the Titanium Technologies business for Chemours, the SIM assets complement the company’s long-term business goals. According to Snell: "When we announced plans to begin operations at a new mineral sands mine site in Jesup, Georgia, we partnered with SIM to process the sands on our behalf. Their facilities for separating and processing the minerals were essential to our growth plans.” In acquiring the SIM assets, the company will have additional access to ilmenite ore deposits to produce titanium dioxide pigments. With this transaction completed, SIM becomes a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Chemours Company. They will be integrated into existing Chemours operations.